Chapter 3
The strangeness beneath Fadel’s eyes was suddenly revealed.
At first, I thought that even if I had been asleep for a long time, I should just be her normal personality because I had memories of Alicia’s childhood, but I realized that her unruly personality would be too much for me to handle, so I was pushing the concept of dead and waking up, poisonous and iron.
I can understand why they’re looking at me like that, since I’ve become a different person overnight in the eyes of my family, but I can’t hide my burden, so my smile at him grows increasingly awkward.
“What’s on it?”
I asked, rubbing my cheek gently.
“Sorry. It’s just that you’re always speaking so formally, and it makes me feel distant. It’s awkward.”
“Yeah. You must have gotten a manners lesson in a dream while you were lying down, because you are a different person.”
The second son, Harrison. Sitting next to him, chimed in with a smirk.
He looked similar, but unlike the calm first brother, the free-spirited second brother was different from the rest of the family, who treated me like a glass doll that would break if they touched it.
“Ugh. I realized something… You can’t be like that forever, you know? I mean, you’re old enough to realize that, you know, you’re supposed to be relaxed, but it just keeps happening.”
“I’m not forcing you, I’m just saying that it would be nice if you could be as relaxed as you used to be, but now that I see it, you seem rather uncomfortable. Haha, what’s so awkward about half a word?”
“Pwha-ha-ha-what book are you reading? But I honestly like you better the way you are now, you’re just not used to it, it’s not weird.”
“Huh?”
“I actually like it. I used to think I’d be better off talking to a wall, but now we’re having a great conversation, right?”
It was a poignant comment.
Harrison didn’t hide his facial expressions and thoughts like that. I was glad for his honesty because it was easier for me to deal with.
The problem was his parents.
“Harrison, watch your tongue.”
“Alicia is Alicia, and what are you doing comparing the past to the present?”
My father and mother, who had been listening, opened their mouths with stern expressions, as if they were worried that I might be offended.
It was an uncomfortable topic, but I knew that if I let it go, I’d have my cake and eat it, too, so I just smiled.
“So the bottom line, Harrison, is that I’m very good anyway. Right?”
“… What? Good? No, I mean it doesn’t mean that in a big way.”
“No, it’s not a big deal. I think Alicia’s right, you are very, very good.”
As if reading my mind, Fadel chimed in and smirked, trying to lighten the mood.
“What’s the matter, big brother?”
Harrison looked back and forth between the two of us, rubbing his arms in a way that made my skin crawl. He looked kind of murderous, but I didn’t think he was genuinely offended.
“Ha, yeah, let’s say so.”
Harrison was a man of his word and his deed, and the way he rubbed the tips of my reddened ears to hide them instantly broke the tension at the table.
‘Phew-thank goodness.’
I breathed a sigh of relief and welcomed the topic of conversation as it naturally moved on to dessert.
When it was time to leave, the men talked about politics as usual. It was their usual route to the office after dinner.
“We’ve increased surveillance near the border.”
“Anything suspicious?”
“No. We did get a report of a suspicious figure a few days ago, but it wasn’t connected to the Podia Empire.”
Podia? My eyes widened.
“I see. Continue to be on high alert. The Emperor Podia wants what he wants, and he’ll make sure those who don’t have it get it, even if it means war.”
“Father, shouldn’t we be more inclined to grant his demands, then? It’s too reckless to try to restrain the Podia Empire in reality.”
“It is not an acceptable demand.”
“And what kind of demands? Rumor has it he’s been poking around about the elves, is that part of it?”
Yeah. Is it really about elves?
In the original story, Thierry’s biological mother was an elf, but it was only mentioned briefly and never made a big deal out of it, but there must be something to it, because he’s traveling from country to country.
‘Here we go again, straying so far from the original… From what I understand, Thierry was not supposed to be crowned Emperor until he was over twenty, after he met and fell in love with his mistress, but he’s already seized the throne at seventeen. It’s so different.’
The father seemed unsure if he should continue. But after a moment’s hesitation, he looked at each of his family members one by one, and finally spoke.
“Yes.”
“…”
“The Emperor has demanded to know the location of the Elves.”
“That’s absurd! Elves are extinct!”
“So war may be even more inevitable. All the countries that failed to give the Emperor the answers he wanted will disappear.”
***
The Kingdom of Ashtad was a tranquil land surrounded by snow-capped mountains and blue lakes.
Its northernmost location makes it difficult for outsiders to reach, but there are other reasons why the small kingdom has been able to keep its peace and avoid invasion. It’s because of its closeness to nature, and because generations of royalty have been awakened as elementalists.
So why was Thierry so sure that the King of Ashtad would know about the elves?
His bloodline had a high affinity for nature, so perhaps he had secretly interacted with the elven race.
“Why on earth would you want to find elves?”
To find traces of her dead mother? But if that’s the reason, there’s no need to turn the entire country into a wasteland.
A peaceful approach is unlikely to bring the Elves to the surface, and such a murderous method would make them want to hide even more deeply.
‘Ugh – out of all the countries in the world, why this one? Just when I thought I’d finally gotten away from the original with this awakening, this is it.’
I thought it was a terrible misfortune.
In fact, the worst thing is probably me, who keeps moving from body to body, trying to survive…
‘I’ve searched and searched, but I’ve yet to find a book that explains possession in its own words. I have to meet a sage to get a clue about it… Huh- If real elves exist, I should be more eager to find and meet them than Thierry.’
I’d bite the handmaidens and come to the trails off the beaten path to clear my head, but it only got more complicated.
‘It’s not like I’m reborn, what is this? It’s frustrating, really.’
I muttered something else, hoping to distract myself.
“By the way, is Alicia unable to awaken because she has a low affinity?”
From what I heard, the first one is a Wind Elemental, and the second is an Earth Elemental.
I wondered if my parents were being extra generous because they felt sorry for their youngest daughter, who couldn’t awaken as royalty should.
I looked down at my empty palm, clenching and unclenching it repeatedly, until I realized what I was doing and looked up, shaking my head.
“Oh, am I in too deep? I see nothing but trees everywhere.”
Sure enough, I’d wandered down a flower path with a clear view at the beginning, and now I was on a forest path that led to the back gate.
“Let’s go back. Everyone’s worried.”
Crisp.
“Huh? I think I just heard something…”
Rustle.
“…”
My jaw dropped. I looked everywhere, rolling my wobbly pupils this way and that.
Tap, tap, tap.
The unknown sound was getting faster and closer. Something must be running toward me. I hesitantly backed away and turned to face the way I’d come.
“Evil!”
At that moment, a black mass blocked my vision and slammed into me. A heavy weight fell on top of me as I stumbled backward, eyes squeezed shut.
“Aaoo…”
The sound of the beast’s cries filled my ears and my heart sank.
“What am I going to do… What am I supposed to do, play dead?”
“… Huh?”
A majestic dog covered in black fur stared back at me.
“What kind of dog is that, but is it a dog? It’s too big.”
“Uh…”
That’s when I felt our eyes meet. The black dog let out a soft whine and gently rubbed its nose against my cheek.
‘… Is it okay?’
I blinked, dazed, and made a hesitant hand movement. As my hand hesitated in the air, almost touching his head, the dog aggressively nuzzled my face.
“You seem to be much more gentle than you look.”
The dog was quite intimidating, with its large bulk completely obscuring me from above, but its sparkling yellow eyes somehow made me let my guard down.
“Where did you come from? You look like a dog that has been handled by someone. Where did you leave your owner and are you alone?”
I whispered softly, trying to soothe the black dog. I’m not sure if the dog understood, but I was just trying to let our guard down a little bit.
“Ungg…”
As if he somehow understood me, the black dog whined weakly, rubbed his head against my hand, and soon stuck his tongue out to lick it.
“Haha, you tickle me. You’re so cute. You feel so familiar.”
As I petted the black dog, I remembered the wolf that Thierry and I had cared for together.
In the beginning, to close the psychological distance between me and Thierry, I’d occasionally sneak out for a picnic with a packed lunch, and I’d come across a wounded wolf cub on a forest path.
We hid behind a tree and watched for a long time, hoping a mother wolf would appear, but the forest was eerily silent.
“Your Highness, shall we take him?”
“… Us?”
“Yes. To our house. Oh, of course I’ll take care of him! I won’t let him suffer at all, Your Highness. I just…… think he’ll be so lonely if he’s left alone like that, and I’d like to take him with me, don’t you think?”
“You can… We will.”
Thierry stared at me and nodded in a small whimper. Then he tugged on my hand and led me back to the wolf cub.
